Woman at center of infamous killing to be freed

By TAMARA LUSH Associated Press

Posted:
12/04/2013 07:16:10 AM MST

Updated:
12/04/2013 07:16:11 AM MST

TAMPA, Fla.—Valessa Robinson was 15 when she helped her friends kill her mother in a Tampa suburb in 1998 and 17 when she was convicted of third-degree murder. Now 30, Robinson is scheduled to be released from prison in Florida on Friday.

The Florida Department of Corrections said Tuesday that Robinson will be released from Homestead Correctional Institution in Miami-Dade County.

Department of Corrections Spokeswoman Jessica Cary says that as with any release date, Robinson's scheduled departure from prison can be subject to change.

The murder and Robinson's subsequent trial made the teen infamous. During trial, her defense attorney dressed her in schoolgirl clothes. Gone was Valessa's previous attire of baggy jeans and colored nail polish. The brutal murder and the lengthy trial were covered extensively in local and national media.